There are many Back to the Future anniversaries this year. July 3rd was the 20th anniversary of the film's opening. November 5th will mark the 50th anniversary of the invention of time travel, aka the day Doc hit his head on the sink and envisioned the Flux Capacitor. November 12th? That's the day, back in 1955, of the famous Hill Valley lightning storm, the day Marty McFly went back to the future. And then there are those few dates toward the end of October that I like to remember -- namely October 26th, the day Einstein became the world's first time traveler, and -- in those early morning hours -- the day Marty McFly first jumped into the time-traveling DeLorean and made an accidental trip back to the past. To celebrate some of these momentous occasions, I invited some Back to the Future fans to take a trip back to their own past... to remember the first time they saw a BTTF film, to recall their favorite BTTF-related memories... and to revisit the film itself, gathering quotes, favorite scenes, and so forth. So, without any further ado, I'd like you to meet three BTTF fans... Reese G., 26, is a first grade teacher from New Mexico. Stan P., 22, is a game software engineer from Oregon. Kristen S., 26, is a high school teacher and YA writer from California. What were you doing on or around October 26, 1985? REESE: I was 6 years old, so in 1st grade, probably playing softball. KRISTEN: I was six years old, and probably at home in bed sleeping when Doc's time travel experiment was successful. STAN: Probably whining; I was 2. Who’s your favorite supporting character? KRISTEN: I like Clara -- she's not a wuss. STAN: Biff!! REESE: George McFly. What are some of your favorite BTTF quotes? REESE: "Hey you! Get your damn hands off her!" STAN: "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." "Why don't you make like a tree, and get outta here." KRISTEN: "If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything." I live my life by this motto, and I really believe in it. Describe your first experience seeing a BTTF film (if you remember it!) STAN: The first time I ever remember seeing BTTF was when my dad busted out a tape of it he had recorded off of television. He knew I liked robots and stuff and wanted to show me the mechanical robot arm that administers the dog food at the beginning. The tape kept on running, though, so I watched the first half. I didn't see the last scenes until much later. I thought Marty was way cool! KRISTEN: I was seven years old, and BTTF was on cable. My parents forced me to watch it because when it came out the prior year (1985), I was badmouthing the movie without even knowing what it was about. I assumed science fiction = outer space. I remember being very curious who Doc was, since he doesn't show up on screen until 20 minutes into the movie. And that I liked the flick. What’s your favorite action or chase scene in the films? KRISTEN: I always thought the scene with the Indians in BTTF3 was hilarious, along with the scene where Mad Dog meets Marty in the saloon. REESE: The clock tower/lightning bolt scene. STAN: BTTF's clock tower / bolt of lightning scene. I remember the first time I watched it, I was SO NERVOUS. When it finally worked I couldn't believe it, and was so relieved. In 2005, Biff would be 68 and George McFly would be 67. Who'd win in a fight? REESE: George! KRISTEN: George struck me as someone who is in better physical shape, barring that unfortunate encounter on the golf course in 2015. STAN: That depends on their weaponry. Biff has a stupid cane. George, on the other hand, probably has loads of awesome gadgets at his disposal, as he's a successful writer and able to afford the upside-down hoverdisc in BTTF2. What would be your transportation of choice: a time-traveling, flying DeLorean; a hoverboard; or a time-traveling, flying train? STAN: I suppose I'd go for the hoverboard, since it doesn't require 1.21 jigowatts of power. REESE: The hoverboard is the coolest. KRISTEN: The time traveling, flying DeLorean, of course. If you could time travel to any period in history or the future, where would you go? KRISTEN: This may be cliché, but I would either go witness my parents' first meeting, as I know when, where, and the date/time it happened. Or else I would go back to the 1940's and catch a performance of my grandmother, who was a big band singer. I have long desired to hear her perform, at least. That would just be awesome. STAN: I think I would go 30 years into the future. REESE: The fifties sometime to see my grandparents get married. Describe your first experience of seeing BTTF2 and/or BTTF3. STAN: I don't remember my first experiences seeing [these] two movies, but I remember seeing a movie poster for BTTF3 and was excited about seeing it. "They're making a third, awesome!" KRISTEN: I saw both movies in the (at the time) state-of-the-art Tigard Theater, a week or so after they opened, with my parents, brother, and my dad's movie buddy, Bob. I remember LOVING BTTF2, and wanting a hoverboard very badly. (I was 10, and believed they existed after seeing the interview with Zemeckis on TV.) I also remember people laughing when Michael J. Fox walks on screen as Marlene McFly the first time. I was bummed at the idea of BTTF3 taking place in the old west, since I hated westerns, but when the movie came out I was ready to see it. I remember thinking Doc would puke from the wake up juice, which I hated, so I hid my eyes. And that people laughed when Fox's butt was exposed when he woke up in the livery stable after the town festival. And that people REALLY laughed when Jules and Verne appeared on screen and were introduced. I had also heard that this movie "had a twist," and therefore had no idea what to expect with the end. I figured the twist would be Clara coming to the future...then I thought it was Doc and Clara being stuck in the past...then I realized, ha ha, it's the train! And finally... 10/26/2005 Thank you to Reese, Stan, and Kristen for participating in this feature! Don't forget to check out The Life & Times of Marty McFly, age 37! Leave a message in the guestbook or the blog to comment on this article. :) Back to TV & Film (c)2005 AlligatorJuice.com.